Minnesota!

[Summer98]

The frostbitten wattles and it seems the tips of the comb too.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Hi All! This is the first time I've posted in this thread. I live in Hudson, Wisconsin - however we are a part of the Twin Cities so I feel like I am actually located closer to more people in Minnesota than Wisconsin. We recently passed a new ordinance to allow backyard hens in our city. Because we are only allowed to have 5 hens, my friend and I are hoping to purchase our day old chicks locally (in Minnesota or Wisconsin) versus going to the big mail order hatcheries. However we're having a really hard time finding breeders or people that sell all or most of the breeds we are looking for. And I imagine it would be really difficult to go to many breeders and get chicks the same age, at the same time. Not to mention the fact that it would be nice to get sexed chicks since we are only allowed 5. I'm not sure what we would do if we had to order straight-run... what do people do? Order many of each breed then try and re-home the rest?

We are open to suggestions for breeds (we would like a colorful egg basket) but so far - we are really hoping to get some of the following (my ** means we really want them the most):

**English Orpington (love the blue or lavender or splash variety)
**Barnevelder
**Wheaten Ameraucana
Astralorp
Wyandotte

Does anyone here have suggestions for anyone that does sell day-old chicks in any of these breeds? We won't be ready until probably end of April for the chicks...

I look forward to getting to know you all better

Jen

I PMed you.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

The frostbitten wattles and it seems the tips of the comb too.

Summer: He's going to have some Wattle loss...but the I think the comb frostbite looks superficial. It looks actually pretty clean and healthy and like it will make a clean break.

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

Minniechickiemama, are your Orpingtons English?

 

[Minniechickmama]

These are not from recent import lines, no.

 

[Vashjir]

I don't think I've shared my birds or coop here yet and today was a beautiful day for taking some pics so here goes:
The coop is a work of pure improvisation. Its about 75% scrap wood from a buddy's hobby barn. Probably weighs 300 pounds, but there are wheels at the heavier end (under snow) for moving it around the yard



The other side with the cleanout door open (Note the beautiful new hay bedding courtesy of Aussiegal318, her neighbors and her fine family down at the tonka bottle shop). There is a small egg gathering door that flips down on the right end.


The girls, thanks to minniechickmama for hooking me up with these lovely ladies last spring. The black is an orpington, still finishing up a molt, the red is a buckeye and the blue and gold is an easter egger.



And last up Sara, always putting here nose where it doesn't belong. Actually she's really good with the chickens, she's even learned how to heard them back to the coop.

 

[aussiegal318]

Bogtown - How's Rosie today?

I think my roo will lose a couple of tips but nothing to really worry about. His waddles are fine. I'm looking forward to getting Lil' Red back down to the coop now that she has feathered out. I just don't have in between space/temp. My coop isn't snug & cozy. 9 chickens have a 7'x7'x8' shed with a 3'x4' annex. Last year I had 14 chickens in there just fine.

Vashjir- They are pretty girls, including Sara.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Rosie is much the same today. Still hanging out with her flock. Still able to run to see what I brought down for food. LOL. I brought her up to the house at lunch time for her medicine (I'm doing some penicillin--from my med cabinet and aspirin powdered into apple sauce) doing this for comfort measures and for the just in case...give it a shot... chance it's not EYP. I'll do this 7-10 days and if she fails again then I know of my tough decision. For now though she is roosting herself which is good and gets herself to the feeder and eats with the bossy ones even. So perhaps we've got some time with her. Here she is today having lunch with DH and I and of course our beloved Jasmine who has found herself one down on the pecking order today.

 

[aussiegal318]

So funny! Lil' Red thinks she rules the roost here also.

She pushed Paddy from his bowl of soup then Zadie (the one in the pict) thought she was going to get extras. No luck. Lil' Red held her ground.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Awww...it's fun these critters we have, isn't it Aussie? Even makes the tough moments worth it I guess. That one way to the right is giving you the stink eye. LOL. Pretty neat.